Rhyas, Sigil of Everblight

Template:Legbox This model is playable only in an Unlimited format.

Rhyas was the more bold and brutal of physically identical sisters, as powerful and swift with a blade as her sister proved with chanted syllables of arcane power. Rhyas is now among the upper tier of Everblight's chosen and she obeys the dictates of his Prophet. She is the Sigil of Everblight and her blade carves runes of blood across the flesh of her enemies.

Basic Info

• This model is a Warlock.

Warlock Rules A warlock is an Independent Model. a Leader model. a Battlegroup Controller controls warbeasts. Warlocks use Fury Manipulation Uses ARC to determine how many fury points it gains each turn. Begins the game with a number of fury points equal to its ARC. Cannot exceed its ARC stat in fury points as a result of leeching. Can spend fury points only during its activation (unless a special rule states otherwise) for the following: Buy additional attacks Boost attack rolls Boost damage rolls Shake some effects Can leach fury points from warbeasts in its battlegroup in its control range. Spirit Bond allows the warlock to gain a fury for each of its dead battlegroup warbeasts. Reaving allows the warlock to pull fury points from a warbeast in its battlegroup when it dies.

Feat - Tide of Blood

1. Rhyas and friendly Faction models activating in her Template:CTRL range gain one additional melee attack during their Combat Actions.
2. The first time a friendly Faction model damages an enemy model with a basic melee attack during its Combat Action while in Rhyas' Template:Control range, immediately place the attacking model anywhere B2B with the damaged model.

Tide of Blood lasts for one turn.

Abilities

• Template:Parry
• Template:Pathfinder
• Template:Acrobatics
• Template:Channeler (requires a 2+ warlock game)
• Template:Riposte
• Template:Sprint

Weapons

Antiphon
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S
		2				7				13
Template:Magical Damage Template:Weapon Master Template:Critical Decapitation Template:Spirit Eater

Spells

{{Category: Template:OccultationTemplate:Rapport }}[[Category: Template:OccultationTemplate:Rapport ]]

Theme Forces

• Template:Children of the Dragon. She gains Tactician [Blighted] in this theme.
• Template:Oracles of Annihilation. In this theme she can start the game with friendly upkeeps in play. Also, enemy models that end their activation within 2" of her suffer continuous corrosion.
• Template:Primal Terrors
• Template:Ravens of War

Thoughts on Rhyas1

Rhyas1 in a nutshell

Rhyas1 is a melee assassin, focusing mainly on supporting warrior models. She can stride through the battlefield unobstructed thanks to Parry and Acrobatics, and cut down her assailants with frightening efficiency. Her unaided threat range is 12", and screening models mean nothing to her - apart of blocking her landing zone for a critical target. After cutting someone down, she can get back to safety with Sprint. The reason she's not the first choice into any competitive list is the fact that her assassination game relies heavily on a critical effect.

She wants a fast, and self-relying army with melee infantry focus in order to get the most out of her spells, and at least one solid beast to be a target for Rapport. As a ninja, she relies on her high DEF to stay alive, with all its inherited weaknesses. Have no illusion; once you committed yourself for assassination, and failed, there will be a very short end-game thereafter. This all-in style game makes her a really active warlock, who is fun to play, but is hard pressed to climb her way to the highest tiers of competitive Legion play.

• Antiphon - A very formidable weapon, and one of the deadliest critical effect, Decapitation on it. That makes you always want to boost the attack rolls - especially during assassinations. Spirit Eater is an often maligned ability but gives you excellent edge against warbeasts and Hordes armies in general. Occasionally it can also severely mess with the opponent's fury management, forcing them to rely on Spirit Bond and/or cutting themselves for the required amount of FURY.
• Sprint - Rhyas is among the rare casters in the Legion, who has no ways to deal with Incorporeal models at range - neither with gun, nor with spells. With Sprint, you can deal with flanking solos or lightly armored targets, and get back to relative safety in the process.
• Riposte - The main deterrent for melee assassinations especially with Wrong Eye's Star Crossed and/or the Counterblast animus. Pretty amusing if you get a critical when someone tries to take a swing at her.
• Channeler - A fluffy ability that only comes up in a prohibitively large two-caster game and only if your other caster is Saeryn1. If you want to fully exploit this, try playing her epic incarnation instead.

Spell thoughts

• Dash - Legion has very few ways to boost the warrior models' threat range - Dash is probably one of the best of them. This cheap spell helps out your infantry's advance immensely with Parry and an extra SPD can make already quick Legion warrior models crazy fast. It may also enable your own assassination run. While your feat is on, you can deliver 6 attacks after casting this spell that is a prospect that enemies may rightfully fear and respect.
• Rapport - It lets a beast of your choice benefit from Rhyas's very good MAT and decent RAT, but also keep that beast at double her control range - very useful for spreading your resources more effectively, or pushing incredibly deep with an assassination. Prime targets for Rapport include Typhon or a Carnivean but Angelius is going to like it as well (they all benefit from the MAT and RAT buff), but just about any other beast can appreciate this spell.
• Occultation - Legion in general is not famed of its resilience - this one will solve the issue of an important Raptors, Swordsmen or Chosen unit getting shot to pieces before reaching their target.

Feat thoughts

The feat has 2 parts and are working independently from each other:

• you get the extra attack if you activate the model within Rhyas' Template:Control area
• you get the teleport part if the model that causes damage with its attack is in Rhyas' Template:Control area

Both part have several things to take care of - see Tips and Tricks. The feat allows your army to get a lot of job done, but it may severely tax your deathclock in timed games.

While the place effect from her feat requires you to stay base to base with the target you damage, it doesn't mean you have to keep attacking it. You can use this to your advantage by throwing an angry Scythean into the enemy's front line, then teleporting behind it and spending the rest of your attacks on delicious second wave or support models. The place effect can also enable assassinations from further than might be expected. Caster hiding behind some jacks? No problem, just smack one and then teleport behind it and go to town. This is especially effective if you commit your Rapport beast to do the job. They'll be swinging at elite MAT, and get a bonus attack to help seal the deal. With the extended control range on Rapport, you have to worry less about leaving Rhyas's control range too. If you want to ensure the damage consider using the Blighted Nyss Sorceress' Blight Storm action.

Finally, this feat works well against single-wound, Tough-enhanced troops, like the Trenchers in Cygnar's Gravediggers theme (if they don't have some form to ignore knock-down after a successful Tough check, that is). Your first damaging hit triggers the check, and your extra feat attack finishes them on a successful damage roll, or you can swing upon another target.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• The usual high DEF, low ARM troubles - if she gets stationary or knocked down, she's done.
• Heavy reliance on a critical effect for personal assassination potential. Also struggles against armies who deny charges and/or melee attacks.

Tips & Tricks

• When using Rapport, watch out for spells and abilities that might strip upkeep spells from your warbeast - there's hardly a more frustrating scenario than losing control over your wrecking-ball beast that's now trapped behind enemy lines with no access to forcing. A Shepherd with her Beast Master ability can occasionally help you out, if that happens.

Feat tricks and tips

The first half is rather simple, it's an additional attack:

• It is useful if your model lot its initial attacks (for example due to a Stagger effect) but you still cannot use it if you need to sacrifice your Combat action.
• It comes without forcing or spending Fury which can come handy if you are under an effect that stops forcing.
• It is an additional attack thus you cannot "spend" it on additional Template:Star Attacks like Combo Strike or Thresher.

The second half has more caveats:

• It is the first attack that also damages so if you fail to crack armour with the first hit, a later one can still trigger the place effect.
• The teleport does not get triggered on Template:Star Attack, only on basic melee attacks. You can still trigger it with your feat's extra attack though.
• The feat placement is not worded as an optional ability (there is no "can" or "may"), you must place your model B2B on the first damage from a basic melee attack. Though most of the time you want to do just that, sometimes the only valid position is the back arc of a model, pulling your models uncomfortably close to the enemy.
  • If you are unable to make a valid placement, the model stays where it is and does not get another chance.
  • Be on the lookout not to place your troopers outside the unit leader's Template:Command bubble and your warbeasts outside their controller's Template:Control range with the teleport.
  • There are corner case situations where your enemy can use it against you: for example you charge with your Nyss Swordsman a Virtue Champion standing in the middle of a Scather template. You stay 1" away from your target in order to remain unaffected by the template. However, if you damage him, you immediately have to teleport in B2B and you cannot avoid the coming 1 point corrosion damage.
• When you dropped your feat, remember, that models have to activate within her control to get the extra attack, and they also have to be within CTRL when damaging the target to trigger placing. Use this to your advantage, especially with models who have 2" melee range, or Chain Strike.

List Building Advice

Strategy

Rhyas constantly poses a non-negligible assassination threat with her personal presence - the longer the battle lasts the more dangerous she will be. Enemies will often place their warcasters 13"+ away from her to avoid her blade since very few things can counter her attack run - making her an effective tool to bully casters out of scenario.

Outside of that she typically aims for a few quality beasts and capable melee models to get the job done. Tide of Blood allows credible attrition swings while Dash and Occultation both keep your warriors safe from retaliation. Outside that she has no damage or accuracy buffs to help out her army so tailor your army likewise (preferably with self-supporting models).

Theme thoughts

This makes the best of the Nyss units readily available, and her pet warbeast, Zuriel often forms the basis of it, along with Azrael.

• Swordsmen - Good core infantry for Rhyas to field. With their UA, they can get up to three attacks on feat turn, two of them with back strike bonus. Occulation helps them survive the trip up the board, though drifting AOE can still prove fatal even with this tactic. They generally do enough damage without outside support as well.
• Raptors are also excellent Occultation targets, and can do a lot of damage on the feat as they also are weapon masters. They're also much easier to deliver with impressive threat ranges. The same is true to their de-facto UA, Annyssa Ryvaal.
• Ice Witches or Yssylla - Critical Effect on your Sword. Puppet Master. You get the picture. In Themes where the Witches are not available, Eilish can be in their stead.
• Virtue Hosts and Virtue Champions - They are excellent workhorses that don't need much caster input. Perfect for Rhyas.
• Throne of Everblight - Teleporting huge bases around with the feat is a hoot, even if finding a proper landing spot can be iffy. A teleporting throne with its 4" melee range can give an incredible extra threat range - and one more attack to trigger Necrophage.
• Blackfrost Shard - Rhyas has no damage buff, making them an auto-include for her anywhere they are available.

Raven's allow her to take both Zuriel and Golab, the two best beasts in the faction and grants you Blighted Nyss Sorceress & Hellions for extra battlegroup efficiency.

• Hellmouths can drag enemies closer, including casters, which Rhyas loves for her assassination run. They also enjoy Dash to get into the back arc of the enemy for a grip attack.
• Rotwings decrease DEF, get +1 MAT from Golab and they have flight, so you can run one up next to your assassination target to increase your odds of ending the game somewhat. With Blight Storm from Nyss Sorceresses and Sniper from Strider Deathstalkers they should also have an easy time getting Finisher attacks.
• Fyanna the Lash - Get behind and enemy, then have her throw them towards Rhyas. Dash makes her even faster.

• Throne of Everblight, Ice Witches, ,Virtues and the Blackfrost Shard are also here.
• Thagrosh0 - He can cast friendly faction animi for free, even those coming from beats in another controller's battlegroup, meaning you can have three instances of Slipstream in one turn for example, if you give the Seraph to a Blight Archon and have the Archon, Seraph and Thags all cast it. He alone can also cast the Mekanoshredder's Full steam on up to 6 models from turn 2.
• Blighted Nyss Hex Hunters - They love Thags's Blight Burst as it prevents Shadow Bind from being shaken and Dash from Rhyas means they have a total threat range of 12.5" before the feat.
• Proteus - Chain Strike and Pull lets Proteus drag enemy models closer, then debuff them with Crawling Chaos, enabling assassinations.

This is some sort of nod toward one of her Mk2 theme force. Effectively SPD6 Ogruns with access to Parry are no joke and they have their own built-in fixes for accuracy and even damage to some degree. Ogruns under her command, and Occultation goes a long way of helping the Warmongers reach the enemy without suffering too much casualties on the way up.

• Chosen of Everblight - Keep the most expensive cavalry in the game alive for a longer time and also make debuff casting on them harder with Occultation.
• Blighted Ogrun Warmongers - Dash gives a respectable 16" with Gorag's minifeat and Vengeance, and a general 11" charge range that is not bad for a base SPD5 unit. They become absolute meat grinders under her feat, the extra attack keeping your berserker train going - just watch out with the positioning.
• Hellmouths and Thagrosh0 are also in this theme.

• Blight Archon - An all important piece for any Legion list the Archon provides Rhyas with +1 to hit, making her MAT 9, as well as Impending Doom, which can pull enemy casters closer for an assassination, or free up space for a crucial feat teleport. Dash on the Archon is also extremely useful as it has Flight already. The Archon is no slouch in combat either. Giving it a Mekanoshredder, Seraph or Neraph lets you cast their animi without straining Rhyas's Fury, and provide important threat extension to her.
• Succubus - You have 2 great upkeeps that are unlikely to be swapped around too much - a succubus can not only upkeep one for free but also put out an on-demand cover to keep Rhyas safe.

• Eilish can give out Puppet Master and Dispel.
• Hermit - Damage fix on a stick, just try to keep up with the rest of the army.

Battlegroup

File:Zuriel.jpg

Zuriel

• Zuriel is her pet warbeast she can take in any theme. It doesn't get a lot of stat improvement from Rapport, but gets default Stealth in your CTRL area. Usually your first choice for her unless you put him on a Blarchon.
• Carniveans - Arguably get the most out of Rapport, since it boosts their MAT and RAT the most, and they can take advantage of both of these. A Scythean can potentially be a better target for Rapport though, even without benefiting from a RAT boost, as their assassination potential on feat turn is much higher thanks to Murderous and a longer melee range.
• Blightbringer - Rhyas has no damage buff for her troops at all, so the Dragon's Breath is a welcome addition to her arsenal. It can neither move via the feat, nor be sped up by Dash, but Rapport overwrites its terrible MAT and RAT values. Withering Ash makes a MAT 10 assassin out of her.
• Seraph - Slipstream is often crucial for assassination runs, while its shot not only lowers the enemy's DEF, but increases the chance of your criticals as well. To mess with threat ranges, you might also want to consider the Neraph/Afflictor, Angelius, Hellmouth, Proteus, or even Fyanna for those crucial extra inches.
• Nephilim Soldier - Rhyas appreciates a couple of extra inches due to the Overtake animus while slicing up targets. If you're more about safety though, you should consider a Nephilim Protector both for its animus and Guard Dog though - DEF18 in melee is a credible protection and will likely trigger Riposte. Just make sure that your enemies can't dispel the animus, neither attack you with spells/Gunfighter against which Riposte won't get triggered. In those cases try to rely on Zuriel's Dodge animus instead.
• Raek - Yup, that's a 48" diameter CTRL area if you mix Rapport with Extended CTRL range. And MAT 8 headbutts all but ensure assassinations.
• Mekanoshredder - Your cheapest threat extender against mechanical targets - near mandatory to any list.
• Angelius - Few warlocks can produce such movement shenanigans with the Angelius as Rhyas. The first thing you'll cast on it will probably be Rapport to keep this beast inside your CTRL area and to boost its average RAT and MAT. Then between the feat, Repulse and side-step you can play pinball with your opponent who will definitely have hard time second-guessing where your beast will end up. Just a few ways to utilize the Angelius' mobility during feat turn:
  • Charge in, Bite your target, teleport behind (if in a Sorceress' Blight patch, the damage is guaranteed), Side-step, then punch something beefy with your Tail Strike.
  • Charge in, attack, teleport behind, Sidestep, cast Repulse to clear a huge area.
  • Charge in, Bite, teleport behind, Sidestep, Tail Strike, Sidestep, Bite from Feat. Or just stop at Step 4 to threaten something with a nasty free strike if it has 1" melee.
  • Want to get something 6" closer to your lines? Charge, teleport, Repulse, then rinse and repeat with a Nephilim Bloodseer.
  • Still hungry for more? Enter the Blight Archon, and go nuts with Impending Doom (put the Angelus under his care only if you're OK with missing out on Rapport though).

Support

• Blight Archon - The Archon and Rhyas is really a match made in (blighted) heaven: ARM buff, outsourced battlegroup management, and one of the nastiest threat extender in the game in the form of Impending Doom. Really, one is a no-brainer for her list, and 2 are not out of consideration either. +1 To attack rolls also makes her effective RAT 9 (not for Rapport though) which is nasty.
• Blighted Nyss Shepherd - Tiny CTRL area has its own problem; one of them is checking constantly not to run/charge too far with your beasts where you cannot force them. The Shepherd's aura will ease this, and occasionally helps you with Fury management if your beasts ran a bit too hot. The Forsaken can also play this latter role.
• Blighted Nyss Sorceress - Aerial Coordination is always useful, but more importantly, Blight Shroud will guarantee that the models will be able to teleport during feat since they'll damage the opponent in the AoE, no matter what.

Starting a 25 point Brawl list

In 2021.01 Phillip Melvin, one of the LOS authors, put together this list for the Brawlmachine format. He even wrote about it's playstyle and expanding it beyond 25 points, which you can read here. Please note that due to point adjustments since then this list may be off by a few points (brackets include the actual point value):

Theme - Ravens of War

Rhyas, Sigil of Everblight: [+30 WBP]

• Golab: [16 pts]
• Zuriel: [15 pts]
• Mekanoshredder: [4 pts]

Craelix, Fang of Everblight: [Free] Template:Grey

Grotesque Assassin: [3 pts]

Strider Deathstalker: [3 pts]

Feralgeist: [2 pts]

Blighted Rotwings (Min unit): [6 pts]

Total RRP: USD $212 (based on PP's online store prices 2021.05)

Other

Trivia

• Released in Hordes: Evolution (2007)
• Rhyas' sword, Antiphon, probably got its name after the ancient Attic orator and statesman of the same name, who lived in the 5th century BC. In 411 he helped the rise of the Four Hundred, a group of oligarchs, who initiated a coup and threw down the democratic order in Athen for a short while. Later he was executed for his deeds.

Video Battle Reports

• 2019.06 Feat Fetish, vs Reznik1
• Template:VBR